The Cincinnati Bengals hold the 17th overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft after falling short of the playoffs, despite a late-season surge led by Joe Burrow and the offense. With minimal activity in free agency, the team still has significant holes on the defensive side of the ball. Contract talks with edge rusher Trey Hendrickson have stalled, suggesting his time in Cincinnati may be nearing an end.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah predicts the Bengals will use their first-round pick to draft Hendrickson’s potential replacement: Donovan Ezeiruaku, an edge rusher out of Boston College.
“Ezeiruaku is a polished pass rusher and shares some traits with Hendrickson, whose status with the team is still uncertain,” Jeremiah explained.
Ezeiruaku had an outstanding senior season, leading the ACC with 16.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. While Boston College managed only seven wins, Ezeiruaku’s performance stood out—and could translate well at the pro level. Jeremiah does not anticipate the Bengals making a move up the draft board, and he believes they should focus on maximizing the value of each pick to remain competitive in the 2025 season.
